I went outside and followed my Ethernet cable from my modem to the living room, where the internets stopped working a couple days ago. My WiFi, 360, XBMC and TiVo had all been interrupted by what I discovered last night was a bad link between my network routers.
As you can see in the picture - it appears the cable was chewed on? It's been installed for years, and actually was tucked under the ledge you see.
So how should I go about repairing it? Short term I'll just bridge the wireless network. 100Mbit is really nice though. Re-wiring will be a big pain and unsightly. I could solder the connections and heat-shrink tube it, but I can't find the materials for htat. Have you seen some crimping or splicing hardware I can use here? It doesn't have to be waterproof really - duct tape should solve that.
Update:
Found some telephone line splicers. They work for solid copper lines, from 26 to 22 AWG, so perfect for the 24 AWG Cat5 cable. These cost about $4 at the hardware store, which was about the cheapest and quickest solution I could find. You basically put in two wires and then squeeze with pliers and a metal contact with two slots is crushed down on the wires. I wrapped everything in duct tape, and at least this solution works better than bridged WiFi. We'll see how well it does with COD4. Pictures after the break...
Continue reading "Well There's Your Problem..."...Netflix jumps on the popular feature removal bandwagon. Starting Sept 1 they are eliminating profiles. Profiles allow you to setup multiple Netflix queues under one account. For example my wife has her own queue with one DVD out at a time. This way she can manage her own list of sappy chick flicks while I fill my own queue with, uh, more important stuff. So much for a good thing. Thanks Netflix.
Lifehacker reports that Google Browser Sync has been discontinued and will not be updated to support firefox 3. That is so lame. It is my favorite Firefox plug in, and has completely changed how I use a browser. I have it installed on all my computers for syncing bookmarks and open tabs. Thanks Google.
A couple of years ago I replaced a large proportion of the light bulbs in my house with CF bulbs. Almost immediately I noticed the savings on my power bill. I justified the higher cost and almost ridiculous disposal issues by the long term savings I was going to get. After all these things are supposed to last a crazy long time (up to 10 years - it says so right on the package). I eventually replaced nearly all the bulbs in my house.
Well as of now I'm officially changing my mind on that decision. The reason? These things are dying right and left. It seems that for 3 - 4 times the money I'm getting bulbs that are lasting 1/3 the time. In fact the vanity mirror and flood types are only lasting 10 - 14 months on average for me. That is far less than the incandescents they replaced. So much for long life. Now I've got a pile of crazy mercury filled dead bulbs that I'm probably going to have to pay to dispose of. So much for saving the environment.
I think this is another case where the consumer is being sold snake oil.
Shortly after I got the 360 streamer working my Roku box showed up. This is a pretty amazing piece of hardware. It is small and light and fan-less. There is no on-off switch! I went to the web site and they basically said you can just leave it on all the time, it draws very little power. If you want to turn it off you have to un-plug it. It runs a custom version of Linux on a strong arm based embedded processor. It has all the AV connection options you could think of, Svideo, composite, component, HDMI, stereo out and optical out. It has both Ethernet and Wifi-G connectivity.
The setup was easy. I first configured it for my wifi network, then it ask for my Netflix credentials. After that it generated an activation code that I had to go online to Netflix's site and enter. The whole process took less than 10 minutes.
The user interface is about as simple as it gets. When you boot it up, it connects to your 'instant' queue. From there you can select a show, read about it and play it. It supports fast forward and rewind via a thumbnail preview. Once you find the spot you want it can take 30 seconds or so to cache up the data at that location before it plays. You can only select movies in your instant queue, you cannot browse for new movies to watch - this must be done from the PC. Originally I thought that this was a pretty major limitation, but now I think it is a pretty cool feature. I'm treating it like parental controls. If my kids use the box they'll only be able to watch the shows that I 'made available', instead of having instant access to all the R rated content I don't want them to see.
So I've been watching a bit of 'watch instantly' streaming content from Netflix. It is pretty handy and doesn't cost anything extra. But it only works with PCs, so when Netflix announced a set top box I jumped. I placed my order for a Roku box the day after it was announced. I figured it would be a handy way to get the content streamed to my projector without having to drag my laptop over. When it arrives I give a full account.
Of course what I really want it just to be able to stream Netflix through my 360. I figured if that ever happens I'll just move the Netflix box to another room. Well my Roku isn't even here yet and as of tonight I'm streaming Netflix through my 360!
George sent me a link today to a media center plug in called vmcNetFlix. This add on only works with Vista Media Center, but it allows fully queue management, streaming, searching, browsing as well as downloading the streams for watching later. It is the Author's first media center application, and it is currently pretty slow and a bit buggy. It is only beta, but it looks very nice, and best of all - it works. It 'copies' your DRM authorization to the 360 so it can play the content without using up another device slot on your account.
As for the Vista part, I guess the timing is right. My XP Media Center machine died last week and I'm in the process of building a new Vista box to replace it anyway. Actually to test this you don't need a full media center setup anyway. You just need Vista Premium or Ultimate - no tuner. You must first make sure your PC can play Netflix content, then make sure the media center app runs. After that get your 360 connected to it. And finally install the vmcNetFlix add on and follow the instructions.
I was reading a random computer article, as I always do, when I came across a classic argument that I must have heard a million times by now. The article was contrasting two different UI approaches to file managers and it concluded that XYZ approach was best because "it seemed easier for new users to learn how to use." I'm not sure why, but it hit me, just who are these 'new users' anyway? I mean we have been using arguments like this in computer debates for so long now, that no one has bothered to notice that there are NO new users anymore. I mean 15 years ago we had entire generations of people to convert to using computers. We also had a small existing computer base to convert from command line to GUI. But what about today, 2008? Anyone in an older generation who has not already learned how to use a computer is not going to learn one now, period. That problem is dying off (literally). As for the truly 'new' users, no one needs worry about them. My kids both were using computers before they could ride a bike, talk or even walk for that matter. They have no problems with UIs that don't somehow map to the physical world of paper and yellow file folders.
The old rules and arguments, just like the old 'new users', no longer apply.
Dvorak's new article is another inflammatory attempt at driving traffic to his site by presenting an argument counter to common tech wisdom. Ok I'll bite.
Dvorak - the iPhone is no desktop
His Main Points:
1. Smaller is becoming a problem.
2. Laptop as you only computer means you squint at a small screen and go blind - because they use a laptop at work as their main machine.
3. Because laptops don't get backed up, if it gets lost or broken they are toast.
4. Laptops are delicate.
5. Everyone thinks that the iPhone is going to be the next major computing platform. - What happens if people spill coffee on them?
6. They leave them all over, unlocked and with limited encryption. -Data robbing.
7. Claims that the desktop computer is the best model for computing. for 10 reasons: upgrade, displays, expandability, harder to steal, good input devices.
8, Only uses a laptop for travel.
9. Doesn't want to lug a laptop between home and work where it could break in the car.
10. If he wants data to be portable he'll load it on his 32G thumb drive.
Before I dive into the specifics of why he is an obsolete dinosaur who is nearly always wrong now, let's challenge the premise and then I'll counter his specific arguments. First why would we want the iPhone to be a desktop? What is so sacred about the desktop that it should be the model for all future technology? Next he uses the phrase 'computing' a lot. What is meant by that? What actually IS computing? My guess is that it is something that few people think they are doing, or even want to do. Lets say for sake of argument that the desktop IS the best computing platform (what ever that means), people don't buy an iPhone because they want to compute! The average iPhone consumer doesn't want to 'compute', he wants to find information, be entertained, stay connected with friends and he wants to do that from anywhere he goes.
Continue reading "Dvorakosaurus"...Hi, my name is John, and I'm an Apple hater. Well at least that's what they make me say at Apple haters anonymous. You see, I have a problem. I've been hating Apple since 1982, the year my beloved Commodore 64 came out (may it rest in peace). That's a long time. A habit practiced that long becomes a part of you. But I am working on it. A few years ago I started a 12 step program, and I'm slowly making progress. I'm on step 6, and in this program it requires me to face the thing I hate head on.
After months of agonizing deliberation I found myself at the Apple store asking an overly cheerful associate to bring me the cheapest Mac they sold. At the mention of the word 'cheap' I saw a momentary crack in the facade as a sneer flashed across his face. But it was gone almost as soon as it had come, and he happily trotted of towards the back off the store. Before I knew it he was back and although there wasn't a cash register in sight my card was swiped, and a receipt was produced from thin air as if by magic. When my head cleared I found my self standing back in the mall holding a small white box with Apple logos on it.
I took the Mac mini home with some apprehension. After an hour or so into the relationship, it was clear we were not going to get along. I criticized its OS, it said something about my mother, I called Steve Jobs a name, and it refused to output anymore video. Check mate. The next day I went back to the Apple store and swapped it for one that wasn't set to evil. I got off to a rocky start with this mac too, but after a while we called a truce. Now it sits quietly on my desk, and through the magic of VNC, it happily serves up its bouncy GUI to whatever PC I happen to be using - at home or away. It doesn't complain that is is surrounded by PCs or that it is connected to Microsoft products. I no longer tense up when I look at it. I call it Minime.
So am I converted? No, far from it, but I am learning tolerance and that is real progress. Soon I hope to be ready for step 7. Hi, my name is John, and I'm trying real hard not to be an Apple hater.
I got in on the new Evernote beta today through
giveawayoftheday. I'm excited. The new version has a server back end with a web interface and it auto syncs to all your clients. Very cool. I'm currently testing the new web, windows, and mac clients. (BTW: I bought a mac). So far it is working well. The interface has changed a bit and differs between Windows and Mac. There are some features still missing and others not yet polished, but it is looking good. I imported about 200 notes from my existing database and synced them up. My tag hierarchy didn't come across - it got flattened out, but everything else looks good. The web version even does in image text searching like the client apps do. Cool. I think this hybrid type of desktop / web application is the future. You get the best of both worlds.
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I bridged the routers wirelessly, but they're too far for a strong signal. I boosted the DB of the signal from 42 to 70 and although it made the connection stronger, it still dropped as often. Tried to play some COD4 online, but the lag was too bad.
Just strip and twist the wires together and solder them. Tape them individually with electrical tape, then tape the whole mess.
The bigger question is how to keep them from getting chewed on again. I have the same problem with my deck lighting. A year ago I went through and spliced and repaired all the wiring, put in new bulbs and everything. It was great for about 3 months and then half of it stopped working. I have all manner of animals that live under my deck and I can't convince them that wires are not food.
I live in an apartment.
If that's Cat5 cable, it probably won't be after
you repair it. I'm sure it will still work,
but you might get some mysterious network failures
and poor throughput.
I've updated the post with pictures of my fix. My repair kept the pairs relatively twisted. The contacts shouldn't be worse than going to jack, into patch panel and then out to jack again, which is a typical enterprise configuration.
And the results of the COD4 test?
This is a bit off topic, but since you mention it, the default signal setting on your router should already be optimal (at least for the stock antenna). Mostly, that setting is valuable when you want to lower your signal strength.